


Lucky Number Thirteen

by Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-12-13 23:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21006056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth/pseuds/Silver_Shortage_in_Markarth
Summary: Their lives, taken too soon. A second chance, for them all.The one who rescued them, is the one who shall lead them.(Note: follows the continuity of the second game)





	1. Chapter 1

There is a tale within the three Walls that few dare speak of, and even then only once in a blue moon. It isn't a forbidden tale by any means; it is just that the events of it defy any proper explanation. 

It begins shortly after the Survey Corps returned with the crystal encasing a former comrade. In the journey back, they'd lost one of their own; he'd bravely given up his own life so they would all make it back safely to Trost. As expected, his fellow soldiers mourned in their own ways.

One said that there was no chance of him returning. Another was adamant that he was still alive out there. One of the superiors had frantically tried explaining to one of her fellow soldiers what had happened. No matter how it went, the outcome was the same; there was no chance for him now anyway. He'd probably be Titan food by now. 

His friends vowed to continue fighting, both for his sake and their own. It only seemed fair. That had been the plan, anyway.

But the thing about plans is that usually, something comes along and throws them off. 

...

It had been only a few months since the apparent demise of their dear brother-in-arms. Though it was likely that things would never return to normal, they managed to fall into some kind of bearable routine. 

The first two were spotted when the scouts had just returned from a mission. It just so happened that one Sasha Blouse, and one Connie Springer, both of the Survey Corps, was frequenting the same area they did. Nobody else milling about the current area seemed to notice them (or perhaps they did, and simply didn't care). 

They had tried to get a good look at their faces, but the two supposed cadets were quite adept at concealing their identity. With hoods up, and heads down, there was no way to tell who exactly they were. As they left, Sasha and Connie did notice that their lips moved in alternating turns.

The two soldiers couldn't make out what they were saying though. They were too far away to hear, and their lips weren't moving in a very discernible manner. 

When Sasha and Connie tried explaining this to their fellow soldiers, they were not believed. It had just been passed off as having eaten something too strong for them to handle. 

...

The next instance came in the Garrison headquarters. One Rico Brzenska was working late at night, finishing up some vital paperwork for her superiors. Although she was sure that she were alone that night, Rico caught the sound of what seemed to be whispering. 

Having found a hopefully decent hiding spot, Rico went to go check. But all she saw were, like before, two cloaked figures quietly speaking to one another. These two were taller than the first two, however. Other than that, everything else was pretty much the same. 

Rico was unsure how to explain what she'd seen. The way she tried to, it were just passed off as a mix of stress and lack of sleep. 

She wasn't too happy about being snubbed. 

...

A little while later, in the scout barracks, it had happened again. This time, there was only one of the hooded figures, practically hovering about the area as if it were a ghost. The witness to this figure, One Jean Kirstein, had followed after it to try and discover the identity of this mystery person. 

He was unable to do so. The person was much too fast for him to keep up with. Even with Jean running as opposed to the person's mere striding, he wasn't able to close the distance. 

"Wait up!" He had cried out to whoever it was, trying to move faster as they turned a corner in the halls. "If you think I'm gonna just let some suspicious guy like you get away from me-" 

But they _had _gotten away from him; once Jean turned the corner himself, there was no one there. 

...

Later on, in the room of one Levi Ackerman, several more arrived. This time, as though to make up for only having one before, there were four of them. Regardless of the number, Levi knew unwelcome visitors when he saw them. These visitors were especially unwanted. 

As expected by now, Levi was at the ready with his blades, confronting them all by himself. Strangely, however, they were not the least bit fazed. Normally, were anybody to ever be threatened by Humanity's Strongest Soldier, they would be quaking in their boots. 

Not these people. Rather than run off in fear for their lives, all four of them simply stood there, facing Levi. In fact, Levi was stunned to see the four of them bow in unison to him instead. Once they did, one by one, all of them left. He still couldn't understand what precisely had happened. 

...

Ultimately, he spoke to one Commander Erwin Smith about it. 

As luck would have it, Erwin had also caught sight of a few cloaked figures; he only saw three. For them, he noticed the tallest one leading the other two. The two in the back had their heads down, as though hiding a most shameful secret. Erwin had also tried getting their attention. 

About all he did was manage to get them to stop and briefly look at him, before continuing to shuffle off to their undisclosed destination. 

...

The final incident came in a nearby bar. One Eren Jaeger, as well as his two companions, encountered one final cloaked figure, sitting on a stool and contemplating a drink. 

"Something about that guy seem off to either of you?" Was what he had asked of them. Neither of them were able to give an answer before the figure stood up to leave. It hesitated only to pay for a drink it hadn't so much as sipped.

Efforts at interrogation proved futile. 

...

There were no other reported sightings of the cloaked figures for some time. All those who had seen them, however, remained trying to discern their appearances, if not their purpose. 

In time, talk of the incidents dwindled to nothing, and everyone went about their regularly scheduled business. 

Of course, later on, this strange phenomenon would once more make itself known. 


	2. Chapter 2

It had been during the late nighttime, long after all those besides the night watchmen had gone to sleep, that the cloaked figures were seen once more. Unlike all the times before, they all were seen together now. All of them walked behind another, previously unseen figure. This ostensible leader of them held an unlit lantern, attached to a long stick, out in front. 

The night watchmen were only able to gawk at the peculiar sight, seeing them all march to the church of Trost. The entire time there, all fourteen of them were speaking in perfect unison. 

Once arriving at the entrance, they stopped chanting and filed in without a word.

Now curious as to what precisely was going on, the night watchmen had scrambled over to peek through one of the windows. What they witnessed defied any normal explanation. 

...

The leader stood in the middle of a circle, consisting of the other thirteen kneeling around them. They then opened the small latch on the lantern. Said lantern was then held up high in the air, dangling from the other end of the stick. 

As the night watchmen looked on, the leader approached one of the other figures, holding their lantern above the other's head. If they strained their ears long enough, they could make out what the leader was saying:

_"Rise now, and speak to us  
_ _What is it you have to say?"_

The cloaked figure with the lantern above their head got to their feet, and spoke. Unfortunately, no matter how hard the night watchmen tried, they couldn't hear this part. 

For however long they could handle it, that was what they all watched: the leader held their lantern above one of the others heads, and repeated themself. But not once could any of the other cloaked figures be heard. They were almost done with their ritual before the night watchmen ran off. One of said watchmen stopped briefly to look back.

The cloaked figures were now leaving, in the same formation as before. The only real difference was that now, the lantern was lit brightly with a large blue flame. 

...

When the night watchmen reported their findings the next morning, a brief commotion ensued. Those who had seen the figures before now felt some sort of vindication, seeing that they had been proven to be telling the truth. 

But now, the main objective was just to try and figure out how to get them all to appear again. They didn't really have a schedule for showing up before recently. After some extensive discussion involving the other witnesses, Erwin formed a plan to set into action as soon as possible. 

As luck would have it, it hadn't taken long for Erwin to set aforementioned plan into motion; the cloaked figures were back later that night. Now, all of them were ready to confront these unknown individuals. They believed they were, anyway. It turned out that no matter how prepared they were, the cloaked figures were ready for them.

Not even having their blades and gear at the ready was enough. The figures didn't even have any of that, and all of them still leapt simultaneously. Once all fourteen of the figures were a good distance away, the ostensible leader pointed at their sudden opposition.

Without even saying a word, the thirteen cloaked figures jumped in preparation for attack. Though all of them had no blades, they were still a force to be reckoned with. Erwin and his assembled crew were forced to evacuate before they got their asses beat any more. 

...

The next morning, Erwin changed his plan up a bit, with help from some of the other soldiers. 

"Perhaps the most effective way of dealing with these people," Armin said with a plan already forming as he spoke, "is to isolate them as much as possible. From what little I managed to see of all of them yesterday, they appear to work as a hive mind of sorts. However..."

Armin went on. "We also know firsthand that these people are potentially quite dangerous. I'd say we need to be even more prepared the next time. Perhaps have the element of surprise used more effectively?" 

The soldiers in attendance were all in agreement toward this plan. Some preparation, and all of them would be good to go. 

...

Of course, somehow, the next night all of them encountered the unknown figures, they were once more defeated soundly. This time, even more so than the last time. Against all known possibilities, it were as if the cloaked beings expected the soldiers to arrive where they were. 

All of them, sans the ostensible leader (who directed the others to attack with the hand not holding their ever present lantern), were quick to disarm their opposition. Erwin, Rico, and several others were shocked when their swords were ripped out of their hands and snapped in half like mere twigs. 

For Jean, one of the few who kept an intact sword, he had a different problem on hand. The one that confronted him, rather than destroying his blade, proceeded to actually _jump_ on it and kick him in the face a few times. If Jean didn't know any better, he'd assumed that Jaeger had something to do with that. 

As for Levi, considered Humanity's Strongest, not even he was prepared for getting jumped by four beings at once. As if that weren't bad enough, all of them managed to stop him from pulling off any of his amazingly sick moves. In fact, Levi was left nearly helpless as the four beings practically beat him into submission. 

Likely just as devastating had been for Mikasa, as well as Eren and Armin. For them, it had only been one cloaked figure against the three of them. But somehow, that one figure managed to beat down all three of them. Armin, it had been understandable. Eren, perhaps as well. 

But not for Mikasa, top of the 104th class cadets and member of the Ackerman clan. Somehow, though, her immense fighting prowess proved useless; the cloaked person just grabbed her in midair and threw her down hard against the ground. It did the same to Eren and Armin. 

In the end, the soldiers were once more licking their wounds and left to contemplate their crushing loss. 

Not a good way to end their night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really short but trust me I know what I'm doing

It was during yet another meeting (this one later in the afternoon) that an interesting piece of wording arrived. Rico had been the one who'd brought it, and threw it onto the table for all to see. 

"Going by what's been happening lately," she said to them all, "I'm guessing that our hooded friends have something to do with this." There wasn't any other explanation, or theory; everyone quickly agreed with Rico, and all flocked together to gaze upon what exactly she'd brought.

Although all of them had been expecting some kind of overly detailed scheme, in reality it was nowhere close to that. In fact, it was nothing more than a scrap of paper. Neatly written on it were only two sentences: 

_Come to the church tonight  
_ _If you wish to know the truth_

There weren't any other leads. Trap or not, it got everyone to get close to the hooded figures if nothing else.

...

"So if something goes wrong while we're there," Eren asked of the group on their way to the church, "can we throw Jean in as bait and run like hell?" For obvious reasons, Eren's little joke wasn't too well received; either it was due to the tense situation, Jean's displeasure at hearing that, or both. Everyone became serious once more as they arrived at the church.

At the interior, visible from the nearest window, the cloaked figures now stood with their backs turned to the entrance.

Their leader walked from side to side in front of them, holding their currently unlit lantern high above them; occasionally, they brought it back down and struck the floor with it. If one could listen closely, they could hear voices (presumably the cloaked figures) chanting in unison. 

"Is anyone able to see what faction these guys are all from?" Armin asked of the others. Everyone else shook their head no. 

"Man, I'm tired of waiting!" Connie said then. "Come on, let's go see what these guys are planning!" Against the protests of the other soldiers, Connie forced open the heavy wooden doors to the church, and dashed inside. Left with no other choice (and the mental observation that he was an idiot), the rest followed him. 

By this time, the figures stopped chanting. Their leader then proceeded to turn and walk, the others following suit. All the soldiers watched in amazement as the hooded figures proceeded to ascend a large flight of marble stairs. 

"I don't think I recall ever seeing that staircase any time I've been here," Armin said. "Maybe it's-"

He was cut off at that moment by what seemed to be some kind of supernatural twist. As soon as the last hooded figure was out of sight, all of the lanterns, torches, and all other sources of light in the room went out. 

In its place, an eerie blue glow emanated from the top of the stairs. 

"I would presume we should follow them," Mikasa said to everyone, to which all of them agreed. 

…

The staircase proved to be longer and more complicated than any of them expected. By some force, the blue glow encompassed the area, giving a sort of unearthly atmosphere. 

"Somehow I doubt that this floor is meant to be above this church," Erwin said to the other soldiers. "Everyone, split up and investigate the area. They couldn't have gotten too far away." Everybody agreed, and did as they were commanded. 

In no time at all, the searching soldiers began to encounter the ones they were looking for. 


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm hungry," Sasha told Connie as they searched about one of the many inexplicable hallways. "I didn't get enough to eat at dinner earlier. When we get back, I'm going to see if I can't sneak another slab of meat." 

"Pretty sure you don't want to risk that at this time of night," Connie responded.

The both of them then fell silent, straining their ears for any signs of their quarry. Being from a village known for hunting, Sasha did this quite well, almost frighteningly so. It didn't take her long to point in the direction she heard the slight noise of footsteps. 

"That way," she told Connie while tugging him by his sleeve and leading him in that direction. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway, two of the figures (most likely separated from their group like the soldiers were) stood still as a pair of statues. It were as if they were waiting just for them. 

Sasha and Connie were dumbfounded now; they were expecting another physical confrontation of sorts, but there was no such thing happening. Just both hooded figures lying in wait for them to react somehow. 

It seemed they waited too long, though; both of the cloaked beings stepped forward, one foot in front of the other. The figure on the left opened its mouth, a strange yet familiar voice coming forth from within: 

_They call us the reborn  
We belong to no faction_

After he spoke, he stepped back, and the figure next to him spoke next. As it did, Connie and Sasha noticed a pair of loose black pigtails poking out from under its hood. Something was forming in their minds, but they didn't say anything for fear of being wrong. 

The figure spoke instead. What she said was just as cryptic: 

_Our lives were taken from us  
By those known as Titans_

Sasha and Connie waited for them to say something else, but nothing came. Instead, the two figures walked off, swaying about like a pair of scattered flower petals. 

...

Rico was honestly a little scared at seeing two figures of slightly varying heights before her. She could practically feel them staring holes into her forehead. 

"What the hell's going on?" She asked of them, trying to keep her voice steady. "Do you know the uproar you've potentially begun here in the district?" Right now she wished she had swords to better intimidate them with. 

The taller of the pair stepped forward, and uttered something that Rico needed to strain a little bit to hear: 

_Did our deaths have meaning?  
Or had we died for nothing?_

He stepped back, and his companion spoke next: 

_We gave our lives for our missions_   
_And now we've returned_

Now speechless, Rico just let the both of them walk on either side of her, to somewhere unknown. 

...

Jean stared down the person before him. He knew that this was the one who kicked him repeatedly in the face last time (and caused him to be subjected to even more teasing from Eren that night). Suffice to say, he wasn't all too pleased about that. 

"Bet you think you're hot shit, huh?" Jean sneered at them. "I'd rather deep throat Mister Shadis than get humiliated again by you, of all people." He didn't have any weapons right now, so hopefully whoever this was wasn't going to be able to sense his current situational cowardice-

_Where could you have gone?_ _  
Why did I die without you there?_

This one's voice sounded like a sort of eerie wailing. Now Jean stood frozen in place, unable to react as the cloaked person left him. 

...

As a force of habit, Levi remained in a defensive stance while standing before the quartet of figures. He was never this nervous when confronting Titans; in fact, he could practically slaughter an entire group with his eyes closed. With these four, however, he seemed lost on as to what to do. 

He could only stand in one spot as the first of the four spoke: 

_Did we make you proud, Captain?  
Was our mission complete?_

Then the second: 

_The world is so cruel  
_ _But for your sake we had fought on_

After him, came the third, and presumably the only woman:

_Do not cry for us_ _  
_ _For you, we would fight to the last_

The last one stepped forward:

_Here we are again  
We won't waste our second chances_

Levi could feel his skin crawl, as the four dispersed, and walked on either side of him. He turned and tried to say something to all of them, but nothing could come to mind. And they left pretty quickly anyway. 

...

Erwin was quite confused; from the looks of it, the tallest of the three was the leader. Behind him, the other two stood with their heads bowed. He tried not to let any of that get to him, though. Rather, he tried to focus on the reason he and all the other soldiers were there. 

"Why are all of you here in the district? Have you any business with the superiors? If so, please tell me, and I will relay any messages from you to them." He told them while standing as straight as he could. The one in front took a step towards him, and said his piece. 

_I was eaten alive  
The stench was unbearable_

He walked backwards, and let his two subordinates take the stand. A brief moment followed, as Erwin waited. Then, one spoke up:

_I had been weak  
_ _And I dragged another down with me_

When he was done, then came the other: 

_I couldn't go on  
__My death was_ _unavoidable_

Erwin was left dumbstruck, wondering if he was supposed to do anything about that information. By the time he remembered that he wanted to ask them other questions, they were already walking away to the other side of the hall.

...

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were now confronting the human-shaped anomaly (there wasn't really any other way to describe anyone who could easily beat _Mikasa_ while unarmed), who seemed to be waiting for them to say or do something. When they seemed to wait too long, he spoke to them anyway: 

_You three, all grown up  
I hope I can watch over you_

All three were dumbfounded, but they couldn't really speak as the cloaked figure took his leave. 

"Wait, come back!" Armin finally cried out to him. "What does that mean? Who are you?! Tell us!" He ignored them, and disappeared down the steps at the end of the hall. 

...

Once everyone grouped back up, everyone had something to say about what the hell it was that was going on. 

"So does anyone have an idea as to who these guys are?" Eren inquired to really no one in particular. "It sounds like all of them are saying some really cryptic shit that makes no sense." After him came Sasha to give her input, going by what she and Connie had experienced.

"One of them said they were called the 'reborn'. Any ideas?" There were none; everybody was as lost as she and Connie were. 

Then it was Jean's turn to speak up. "The one I had was talking like he knew me. He was basically asking me about why I wasn't there for him. No idea what the hell that means, but-"

He was cut off then. All of them were surprised as all the light in the building went out, leaving them in complete darkness once more. This time, it took longer than before for them to figure out anything. Ultimately, all they could really do now was wait for something to happen. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember in what order Squad Levi died in

Gradually, the blue flame that the leader of the cloaked figures carried, it once more presented itself. Its small presence belied the immense light it gave off, revealing the cloaked figures standing behind their ostensible leader. None of them moved, and neither did the other soldiers. 

One of the soldiers was about to say something, until the leader spoke: 

_Is it all clear now?   
_ _Do you remember who they are?_

A short pause, albeit one that felt like an eternity. The leader continued, beginning to walk back and forth: 

_Thirteen souls, rescued from the brink  
Stand before you now_

Then, the leader turned to address the others. All the soldiers could only stand in awe as this was happening. 

_Who were you in life?  
Repeat yourself, then give your name_

_Then throw off your shroud  
And regain your identity_

The first one stepped forward, as the other twelve in the line watched. He then proceeded to say what he'd said to Sasha and Connie earlier: 

_They call us the reborn  
We belong to no faction_

He then suddenly jerked his head upward, as though now addressing the heavens themselves (and he probably actually was). As quickly as possible, the leader stood before him and held the lantern in front of him. The cloaked figure then grabbed hold of said cloak, before shouting a name at the top of his lungs:

_ **"Thomas!"** _

With that, he ripped the hood off, revealing the figure of supposedly deceased soldier Thomas Wagner. 

He remained in place as the leader next stood before his partner. The process repeated with her: 

_Our lives were taken from us  
By those known as Titans_

Just like Thomas before her, she looked upward, took hold of her cloak and shouted a different name: 

_ **"Mina!"** _

Repeating the process, it revealed that it was indeed Mina Carolina, another soldier ostensibly killed in an early attack. 

For the other eleven, it was the same. All of them repeated their two cryptic lines before their lantern-touting leader, before snapping their heads upward. They all then grabbed their cloaks and shouted their name in life, supposedly taking back their identity. At least, that's what Erwin, Levi, and all the other soldiers guessed was happening:

_Did our deaths have meaning?  
Or had we died for nothing?  
_ ** _"Ian!"_ **

_We gave our lives for our missions  
And now we've returned  
_ ** _"Mitabi!"_ **

_Where could you have gone?  
Why did I die without you there?  
_ ** _"Marco!"_ **

_Did we make you proud, Captain?  
Was our mission complete?  
_ ** _"Gunther!"_ **

_The world is so cruel  
But for your sake we had fought on  
_ ** _"Eld!"_ **

_Do not cry for us  
For you, we would fight to the last  
_ ** _"Petra!"_ **

_Here we are again  
We won't waste our second chances  
_ ** _"Oluo!"_ **

_I was eaten alive  
The stench was unbearable  
_ ** _"Mike!"_ **

_I had been weak  
And I dragged another down with me  
_ ** _"Gelgar!"_ **

_I couldn't go on  
__My death was_ _unavoidable  
__**"Nanaba!"**_

_You three, all grown up  
I hope I can watch over you  
_ ** _"Hannes!"_ **

* * *

Upon the end of the process, all the soldiers became even more awestruck at seeing all of their deceased comrades. In turn, the thirteen revealed figures stared down at the soldiers, their eyes devoid of any color. To break the tense staredown, their still-cloaked leader stood in front and once more prepared himself to speak. 


	6. Chapter 6

_These are those who were revived  
By my intervention_

_Rescued from the brink of death  
Now, they stand before you_

_Fear not, for their intentions  
They are not sinister_

_Though your encounters were hostile  
Their wishes are not_

_For they have but one question  
To ask of all of you_

Everybody looking up waited, bracing themselves for whatever it was their resurrected comrades had to say. In response, the thirteen former soldiers stepped forward simultaneously, not once breaking the eye contact they had with everybody else. It was intimidating enough to actually cause the living soldiers to step back. 

Then, all the resurrected soldiers held out their right hands. For a brief moment, their eyes all flickered as they then did the salute and asked: 

_All of us wish to rejoin you  
Will you permit this?_

Everyone was taken aback even more, to say the least. Then, all of them looked to Levi and Erwin (since they were more or less calling the shots when it came to that sort of thing). The two looked at each other, trying to figure out what to say. Throughout this silence, the resurrected soldiers stayed completely still. 

"Very well," Erwin said after even more contemplation. Levi nodded to reinforce. "It may take some time to get the paperwork in order, but I'll do my best to reintegrate you all." 

The resurrected soldiers then broke down, still saluting, but now all of them were clearly joyful. Their leader, who had been watching the entire time, began walking in front of all of them once more. He looked at them, and as he did, the lantern he carried became gradually dimmer. In the process, each soldier passed by regained their eyes.

By the time the leader reached the end, the flame was gone completely. He then turned to address the other soldiers. 

_You have made the right decision_ _  
_ _And they are grateful_

The leader turned to address the resurrected soldiers. 

_Your lives have been returned to you  
Go now, rejoin them_

Now, the thirteen resurrected soldiers leapt (actually **_leapt_**) from their position, and rejoined their comrades and loved ones. Whether it were Thomas and Mina happily chattering with Sasha and Connie, or Jean tightly hugging Marco and weeping in joy, the reactions were all overwhelmingly positive.

All of them were still voicing their happiness as they left the church. On the way out, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin stopped to look up at the leader. Somehow, they knew for sure, it was their friend. They were about to say something to him when Hannes came up behind them and wrapped his arms around them all. 

"Come on, kids," he said to them with a big grin on his face, "what say you help Uncle Hannes tell everyone he's back?" 

He then led the three of them out of the church, leaving the three to only give a nod in thanks to their friend. Their nod was returned. As soon as they turned back and headed out with Hannes, the cloaked figure then proceeded to crumble to nothing but a pile of dust. With his final mission completed, there was no need for him to continue on existing.

All that otherwise remained were his cloak and lantern. 


End file.
